Police release new information on three unsolved murders

SYDNEY — Regional police are hoping a pair of Easton hockey gloves and a blue backpack with “Sydney 2000” and the Olympic rings inscribed on it will help solve the grisly murder of a 21-year-old Northside woman.

As a further incentive, the province announced Monday it is offering a cash award of up to $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Laura Jessome’s death, with the money coming from the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes program.

In a press conference Monday at Cape Breton Regional Police Services headquarters, Chief Peter McIsaac released previously confidential information on the department’s three unsolved murders to encourage the public to come forward.

In an effort to close the files on the murders of Jessome, Harold (Buster) Slaunwhite and Brett Elizabeth McKinnon, police have dedicated a phone line to the investigations (563-5574) whereby people can speak directly to the investigators involved.

To increase awareness of the unsolved murders, the information campaign will include CBRM transit ads, public service announcements on local cable and a new police van with the murder victims’ portraits on the side.

Jessome, 21, was last seen alive on May 2 in the New Aberdeen area of Glace Bay and her body was found in a hockey bag floating on the Mira River near Marion Bridge on May 25.

On Sept. 26, 2006, Slaunwhite was found murdered in his home at 97 Brook St., Dominion.

McKinnon, 21, was last seen in early June 2006, and her body was found on Nov. 21, 2008, on a hiking and all-terrain vehicle trail on the outskirts of Glace Bay.

With Monday’s announcement of Jessome’s case being added to Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes program, all three murders are now part of the cash award strategy.

“These are very sensitive, complex investigations,” said McIsaac. “We can’t share any intimate details (of the investigations) other than what we are sharing with you today.”

In the Jessome case, McIsaac said she was last seen in New Aberdeen with two suitcases, one with a floral pattern and the other believed to be black in colour, along with a blue laundry basket and a few smaller plastic bags containing clothing and personal belongings. Police have not yet located Jessome’s belongings.

During a search of the area of the Mira River near where Jessome’s body was found, police divers discovered a blue backpack containing a pair of hockey gloves.

Police hope that a break in the Slaunwhite case will come from people who attended a couple of nearby house parties on the night of the murder. According to McIsaac, Slaunwhite’s home was near an area that was a hangout for local youths, and investigators have learned that there was a house party next door on the night of the murder, as well as another party just a few properties away.

In the McKinnon murder, it had earlier been reported that she had been seen in Ontario in the two-year period between the time of her death and the discovery of her body, but police now know that is incorrect and have determined that McKinnon went missing on June 14, 2006, and was murdered shortly thereafter.

“No piece of information is too small,” said McIsaac. “We want convictions at the end of the day. We want these people locked up for a very, very long time.

“There has been information coming forward, and we know there are others with significant information, which is why we are here today.”